Chapter 90: Death Class Seven (Part 14)

Su Jin input all the names into the Excel chart. The others focused on each student’s line graph displayed on the screen. They could see any abnormalities right away.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu had the most unusual scores. One was consistently excellent, while the other was consistently poor. The others had fluctuations, but the two had almost straight lines.

They all knew the reason behind this, so didn’t mind it much. A few joking comments later, they moved on to those with abnormal fluctuations.

“It’s pretty obvious.” Su Jin, sitting before the computer, reported her findings.  “Apart from Liu Ya and the four students who died, Zhang Zhu, Huang Meng, Chinese representative Chen Xuan, and class president Jiang Yifan all had abnormal changes in their grades.”

“Right. Class 7’s overall grade has been declining.” Chen Kaijie also voiced his observation. “The score drops during the March midterms are quite obvious. The decline continued afterward but wasn’t drastic. However, these few students didn’t start experiencing a sudden drop in scores after the March midterms but from the finals in January.”

He already had a deep impression of January. Something significant must have happened to Class 7 during that month.

That event was the source of all the disasters and this instance’s main quest.

“The timeline matches, which confirms our guess. The sharp score drops in March are easy to understand. The curse must have taken effect by then. The students lost their will to study once they realized this fact. January also had some fluctuations but not as big.” Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu and Zuo Tiantian. “So, what do you think about the few whose scores suddenly dropped?”

“Something major happened to them in January that impacted their exam scores. That’s another match. If it’s school bullying, they’re either the bullies or the victims.” Shen Qingqiu stroked her chin, then clicked her tongue. “Then the target is Liu Ya again. Given her situation, she seems like she could only be the victim of bullying.”

“Is Liu Ya the extra person?” In Zuo Tiantian’s understanding, the bullied victim must have died and become a vengeful ghost. It had to be Liu Ya.

Xiao Muyu furrowed her brows and muttered to herself, “It’s going too smoothly. Liu Ya is too obvious.”

Shen Qingqiu also felt the same way. “The system might have deliberately set it up this way to confuse us. But considering its nature, it would never let us have things this easy under normal circumstances. Also, haven’t you noticed how the system hasn’t made a peep like it’s dead? Usually, it would make its presence known when we discover a key plot point. Even the last time, with the orphanage and the orphan’s resentment, it managed to get involved. So why is it completely quiet if we’ve found the mastermind?”

Shen Qingqiu sounded unapologetic when mentioning the system. Her expression also showed disdain. However, her words hit a nerve.

There was a *ding* after she finished speaking. The system’s voice reappeared.

“Congratulations to player Shen Qingqiu for activating a hidden side quest. The system is no longer pretending to be dead. The system has had no role to play due to obstruction in the quest progress. When the player summons the system, it will trigger the hidden side quest and forcibly advance the progress.”

A dark look descended upon Shen Qingqiu’s face. Her eyes narrowed menacingly. “You’re eager to die, I see.”

Xiao Muyu knew the insufferable system had feelings. She pulled Shen Qingqiu back, then asked calmly, “What’s the quest?” She was already used to it. The system wouldn’t be the system if it wasn’t trolling them.

The railing in front of them suddenly disappeared. Su Jin and Chen Kaijie, who had not been in the hallway, appeared beside them.

Xiao Muyu had no chance to think. Her body began to slide down uncontrollably.

Sensing danger, she instinctively exerted force with her hands and feet. She barely managed to stabilize herself.

Xiao Muyu looked down. Her heart immediately began to race.

The five of them stood on the same rooftop Luo Zihao had jumped off. But the rooftop was not level. Instead, it was a smooth, steep slope.

The slope was angled at seventy degrees. Xiao Muyu had to use all her strength to grip on. Her toes dug in desperately to avoid sliding down.

Moreover, she could feel her body weight slowly dragging her down.

Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian let out brief shouts. Zhuo Tiantian slid down a little further before managing to hold on. The scene instantly became tense and dangerous.

Xiao Muyu pressed herself against the steep slope. She felt sweat breaking out on her forehead. “What are you trying to do?”

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes were bloodshot, but she remained silent. She felt somewhat ridiculous at the moment. How had this volatile, inhuman thing blindsided her in the first place?

“Please answer: In ‘Death Class 7’, what is the reason behind the curse on the teachers and students of Class 7? The slope’s angle will increase if you answer incorrectly. Please answer carefully.”

Xiao Muyu glanced at the others below and beside her. Shen Qingqiu calmly said in a low voice, “Just answer.”

Xiao Muyu knew someone would lose their grip if this continued. She took a deep breath before answering, “On January 8th of this year, a violent incident occurred in Class 3-7 of Yuanning High School, resulting in a student being bullied to death!”

*Crack*. The platform suddenly tilted backward, easing the angle a bit. However, the movement made the five slide downward again.

Xiao Muyu dug her fingers in and pressed her feet firmly against the surface. She stopped herself from sliding further but was barely a meter away from falling.

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats, pounding wildly.

Zuo Tiantian slid down a bit more. Her feet almost touched the edge. A scream escaped her lips. She couldn’t stop panting.

Luckily, the tilt had lessened. Zuo Tiantian was able to stabilize herself.

Xiao Muyu glanced down. Zuo Tiantian’s fingers were bloodied from gripping so hard. Cold sweat covered her face. Su Jin anxiously watched Zuo Tiantian, reminding her to hang tight.

Xiao Muyu’s fingers, too, had torn open from the force, leaving several blood trails on the steep slope. But she couldn’t even feel the pain due to adrenaline.

She glanced to the right at Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Qingqiu had the strongest core strength in their team. She had hardly moved at all. She stared at Xiao Muyu nervously, her face a little pale. The usually smiling and laid-back expression on her face had turned cold. She seemed like a different person.

Xiao Muyu shook her head at her, telling her she was fine. Her gaze flicked to Shen Qingqiu’s waist, worried about her wound.

Xiao Muyu stopped waffling. “The student who died hasn’t left this world. They’re still in Class 3-7. To others, that student appears alive. They had cursed the entire Class 3-7.”

*Crack.* The slope’s angle eased some more.

Xiao Muyu tested it out and found she no longer had to use as much force to keep from sliding. Still, she wasn’t able to climb back up yet.

“It’s not just the students. The teachers of Class 7 and police officers who handled the case also became the curse’s targets.”

The slope eased back again, though only slightly.

Xiao Muyu’s expression relaxed a little. She whispered, “Hurry up and climb.”

Fear had weakened Zuo Tiantian’s legs. She took a deep breath and, with Chen Kaijie and Su Jin’s help, turned around to face the slope. Bit by bit, she climbed upward. The slope didn’t move again. It was safe for them to climb up.

Chen Kaijie, Su Jin, and Zuo Tiantian had safely made it off the slope. Shen Qingqiu and Xiao Muyu stopped moving.

Su Jin became more anxious. “Leader Xiao, Ms. Shen, hurry up and get off!”

Xiao Muyu said softly, “You go first.”

Shen Qingqiu shook her head, her eyes silent yet resolute.

“There’s not much time left. Did the wound on your waist reopen?” Xiao Muyu’s tone remained gentle. Yet, her words left no room for refusal.

Shen Qingqiu didn’t respond. Her dagger was already in her right hand. She said in a low voice, “You know I would never let you take the risk alone. Time’s running out. Hold on tight.”

“The culprit is connected to Liu Ya!” she suddenly exclaimed.

Zuo Tiantian and the others immediately realized something. Their hearts nearly froze in shock.

The system remained silent for a long time. The slope neither lowered nor rose.

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu exchanged glances, disappointed.

*Crack.* The slope tilted back again.

Xiao Muyu threw caution to the wind and shouted, “The culprit is not Liu Ya!”

The slope remained still. Xiao Muyu’s mind worked quickly. She continued. “Class 7 are not the only ones cursed. The curse also targets anyone involved in handling that bullying incident.”

The slope tilted back. The system’s voice rang out.

“Time’s up. Congratulations to Team Xiao Muyu for completing the hidden side quest and avoiding death.”

It was the usual robotic voice. Yet, Xiao Muyu and the others could sense frustration in it.

Shen Qingqiu grabbed Xiao Muyu’s hand. The two of them got off the slope together. The moment they steadied themselves, they were suddenly back in the hallway as if the thrilling scene had never happened.

Shen Qingqiu wordlessly took Xiao Muyu’s hand. Xiao Muyu didn’t have long nails. But they had separated from the skin due to the force she’d exerted earlier.

Those who had experienced pain like this could relate, especially such tearing and bleeding.

Shen Qingqiu’s eyes showed pain that disappeared the next moment. She muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Not only to Xiao Muyu. But to Zuo Tiantian and the others, too. She had never felt so frustrated with herself before.

That had been the system warning her.

Zuo Tiantian also realized what had happened. She quickly waved her hand, speaking in a hushed tone. “How is it your fault? The system is cra— hard to guard against.”

Zuo Tiantian quickly corrected herself.

Xiao Muyu nodded, glancing at her own hand. “It was just taking advantage of the situation. Besides, the crisis ended without real danger, and we turned it to our advantage.”

Zuo Tiantian appeared full of awe. “I admire you two, Leader Xiao and Ms. Shen. All we could think about in that situation was escaping. But you two were able to use it to solve the puzzle!”

Usually, Su Jin kept a cool head and Zuo Tiantian was quiet. They rarely showed such emotions, yet now looked starry-eyed.

Xiao Muyu glanced at Shen Qingqiu. “Whether voluntary or not, the system has been trying to maintain fairness and impartiality in its settings. That last quest was too absurd, and extreme and came out of nowhere. It was a bit like the game Collector’s Edition No. 002, forcing you to choose teammates. That game would’ve been nothing but a harmful prank on the players if it didn’t give rewards. I got a valuable stopwatch out of it. So, I think this game should have some benefits as well.”

She then turned the question to Shen Qingqiu. “What were you thinking at the time?”

Shen Qingqiu moved her gaze away from Xiao Muyu’s hand and spoke softly. “The system said it would forcibly advance the progress. We could only answer based on well-supported inferences to survive. Even if they turned out to be correct, it wouldn’t push the progress too much. So, after you answered twice, I started wondering if we could use it like a ‘prophet’. When you all climbed off, and the system didn’t disappear, it further confirmed my guess. But I was afraid of a bigger punishment if I answered wrong. So, I only skirt around it.”

Zuo Tiantian shook her head. “I have no words except ‘amazing’.”

Meanwhile, Chen Kaijie and Su Jin, who had briefly lost connection due to the scare, came back online. They sent over two big thumbs-up emojis.

“The wound on your waist.” Xiao Muyu was more concerned about Shen Qingqiu’s injury. “We should take care of it quickly. Su Jin, do you still have any medicine at your place? Her wound has probably torn open. We need to change her bandages.”

“Yeah, I have some. Everyone must have hurt their fingers earlier as well. Let’s clean that up.”

Shen Qingqiu said nothing. She also wanted Xiao Muyu to tend to her hands as soon as possible.

They went to Su Jin’s place. Xiao Muyu didn’t waste any time with other things. She gestured for Shen Qingqiu to lift her shirt. Shen Qingqiu hesitated for a moment. She frowned and asked, “Your hands?”

“It’s fine,” said Xiao Muyu. “They don’t hurt anymore. Your injury is more important.”

There was no way Shen Qingqiu’s injury had healed in only a day. Who knows how much it had torn during the slope’s intense first two shifts.

Shen Qingqiu understood Xiao Muyu’s concern. She didn’t want to waste time. The sooner they treated her injury, the sooner Xiao Muyu could focus on treating her own wounds.

She unbuttoned her school uniform and lifted her shirt.

Shen Qingqiu wore a white sweater underneath. Xiao Muyu quickly noticed the bloodstains showing through.

She couldn’t help but frown, watching Shen Qingqiu lift her shirt to reveal her abdomen wrapped in gauze. A fresh, red streak of blood on the gauze deepened Xiao Muyu’s frown.

Su Jin brought over the first aid kit. She glanced at Shen Qingqiu’s bandages with some concern. “It’s bleeding again.”

To make it easier for Xiao Muyu to treat the wound, Shen Qingqiu pulled her shirt up to just under her ribs, exposing her graceful curves.

Xiao Muyu glanced at Su Jin and shifted her chair slightly, blocking Su Jin’s view. “Mm, I’ll take care of this. You handle Zuo Tiantian’s fingers.”

Shen Qingqiu saw everything. She was used to getting what she wanted. She smiled and lowered her shirt a little.

“Don’t move around,” Xiao Muyu reminded her while removing the bandages.

Shen Qingqiu leaned in, whispering by her ear with a chuckle, “They can’t see if I lower it a bit more.”

Xiao Muyu glanced up. She pursed her lips and lowered her gaze without speaking.

“I really like you like this.” The scent of orchids accompanied Shen Qingqiu’s warm and soft voice.

Xiao Muyu didn’t reply. She focused on Shen Qingqiu’s injury. There was a dull ache in her chest. She had only seen the bloodstains yesterday, not the wound.

That strange creature from last night had inflicted this wound. Its claws didn’t seem particularly sharp. The wound had jagged edges, stretching from her lower back to her abdomen. Shen Qingqiu’s recent exertion had reopened the freshly formed scab, making it look more gnarly.

She had endured this injury while fighting, staying underwater, and climbing buildings. Was this woman human, or did she not feel pain? And she had the audacity to flirt with her now.

Xiao Muyu felt both angry and exasperated.

“You worry about me, feel sorry for me, and, hmm… a little possessive, too.” Shen Qingqiu pushed her luck when Xiao Muyu remained silent.

“*Hiss—!*” A sharp pain shot through her wound as Xiao Muyu disinfected it without mercy. “Ugh…”

“How about this?” Xiao Muyu asked icily. “Do you like it?”

The tender and affectionate atmosphere instantly shattered.